Thousands of bees have been killed in a suspected arson attack at a nature reserve.

The insects died when a hive set up to educate young people was burned at Oxford Island near Craigavon, Co Armagh , in the early hours of Saturday morning.

It is believed between 25,000 and 30,000 bees were killed when the man-made hive went up in flames.

Peter McVeigh, Sustainable Project Officer at Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon Council, said it is the children who visit the hive who will lose out.

He added: “This is one of two hives we have which school kids and young people visit. We get them into the bee suits and they work with the bees, seeing how the honey is made.

"It’s them who’ve lost out here, the community is being hurt by this. We were about to start giving away honey to the community, locally made honey for people in the area free of charge, but that’s not going to happen now.

“It’s just sad that all that has gone now. As well as that, the other hive has been moved away now. When it comes back we’ll have to place it at a different location with CCTV and a gate. Beforehand you could walk through and see the bees coming and going, but now you will only get near it with one of us with you and after you go through a gate.

“The openness will have to go, we have to protect our bees with CCTV. That just says it all.”

The hive was around a year and a half old and Peter says it will take at least that time to build up a new ‘brood’ to a full hive of a similar size to the one destroyed. He added that bees are already under threat due to falling numbers and that is having a negative environmental impact as bees pollinate all sorts of plants.

The hive which was torched was in a wild flower meadow which was opened to the public.

The PSNI said they are aware of the incident. A spokesman added: "On the afternoon of Friday 20 May, police received a report of an arson in the Annaloiste Road area of Lurgan. A bee hive had been set alight and destroyed in the incident."